Fan Appreciation Day, 2010 Edition

By Paul Lukas, on December 17th, 2010

A few nights ago I had dinner with a very nice couple — let’s call them Bob and Jill. You’d recognize Bob as someone who’s very relevant to what we all do here at Uni Watch. You wouldn’t recognize Jill, but she’s worked alongside Bob in the sports world for over 20 years.

I’d never met Jill before, and at some point it became apparent to me that she doesn’t actually like sports. “So has that been hard for you?” I asked. “You know, working in the sports world all those years?”

“No,” she said. “Because our customers, they really love sports. And I always try to remember that it’s a privilege to be able to help people with something they love.”

I think that’s pretty remarkable, and it made a huge impression on me. And while I’ll never be as gracious as Jill (because I’m, y’know, ego-driven and snarky and full of myself), I do think it’s a privilege to be at the center of the Uni Watch community, and to be able to help so many people with something they love. And believe me, I appreciate all the help that so many of you folks give me.

So today, as I’ve done for several years running, I’m giving something back. Or, if you prefer to be more cynical, it’s the day I clean out all the free swag that’s been accumulating in my desk drawers over the past year. Either way, nearly three dozen of you stand to win something for free.

One note before we get started: A few of these items are gifts that some of you have thoughtfully sent me over the past year. Believe me, I genuinely appreciate each and every item you folks send my way. But sometimes I have duplicates on certain things, or I don’t have room for everything, or I’ve gotten some enjoyment out of an item but am now ready to let someone else enjoy it. No offense intended, and I hope none taken ”” thanks for understanding.

Lot 5: A Minnesota Wild compression undershirt. Better-looking than that photo indicates. Rose heather color. Polyester fabric. Tagged as a medium; measures 19.5″ pit-to-pit. I have the green version of this and can confirm that it makes a great nightshirt.

Lot 6: A Minnesota Wild mesh polo. Tagged as a medium; measures 23″ pit-to-pit, so it’s really a generous medium or a snug large. Although you can’t tell from the photo, the polyester fabric is mesh, not solid.

Lot 15: A 1969 Mets pennant from Mitchell & Ness. Very soft felt fabric with flocked graphics. Due to licensing/royalties issues, the current retail version of this pennant doesn’t include the player names on the left, so this version is something of a collector’s item.

Lot 18: A plain burgundy baseball cap. Color in photos is a little off — think Redskins burgundy. Wool/acrylic blend. Leather adjusta-strap in back. I got a several of these and kept one for myself — it’s a really nice cap.

Lot 28: A piece of steel supposedly from Shea Stadium. Basically a small chip of metal housed in Plexiglas — sure, sounds legitimate to me. Comes with a “certificate of authenticity” that might even be valid, who knows. Retails for $50, if you can believe that.

Lot 29: A Warriors promo kit from when their new uniforms were unveiled last summer. Includes T-shirt (tagged XL but measures 23″ pit-to-pit, which means it’s really more of a large), press release in logo-emblazoned carrier, and somewhat crumpled envelope.

Lot 30: A Pierre-Marc Bouchard laundry bag tag, designed by Wild assistant equipment manager Brent Proulx. Synthetic fabric. Measures 4″ by 6″. Bag not included — all I have is the tag.

Lot 31: An Africa Unity Shirt promo kit from Puma. When you open the wooden box, it automatically plays the sound of a cheering crowd and a roaring lion (really). Inside is a jersey with a bunch of patches. Jersey measures 17″ pit-to-pit, which is pretty damn small, although it’s fairly stretchy. Super-synthetic fabric. Did I mention that the box cheers and roars?

2) In the body of the e-mail, please indicate your top 10 choices, in order of preference, by lot number. If you’re only interested in, say, seven items, then just list your top seven choices; if you want to list more than 10, you can do that too, all the way to 33, but I don’t really expect anyone to go that far. I’ll do my best to accommodate everyone’s choices.

3) Please include your shipping address.

Entry deadline is 10pm Eastern next Thursday, December 23rd. I’ll announce the winners on Christmas Day.

Again, I’m grateful to all of you for helping to make Uni Watch such a great project. I realize these gifts are a very small gesture compared to everything you folks do for Uni Watch. But a proper-sized gesture would be seriously beyond my means. Thanks again.

+ + + + +

Pool reminder: Phil and reader Tod Hess have put together a college football bowl pool. If you’re interested in joining, you can register here. Our Group ID# is 6828 and the Password is bfbs (all lowercase). If you want a review of the bowls and teams playing, go here and here.

Uni Watch News Ticker: Looks like the Hokies may be wearing an orange helmet for the Orange Bowl, which I guess should make us glad they’re not playing in the Poinsettia Bowl. ”¦ The Indians really nailed it with their Bob Feller memorial patch. Well done. ”¦ Two volleyball notes from the FIVB World Championships in Qatar: Thailand’s Federbrau team, the reigning Asian women’s champs, get to wear a little FIVB logo tag; and most liberos wear a different-colored shirt, but the libero for the Al ”“Ahly team from Egypt also has a different color for the number on his shorts. Unusual uni number placement on the jerseys, too — right under the collar (all this courtesy of Jeremy Brahm). ”¦ Lots of sensational old Rapid Robert photos here (with thanks to Eric Bunnell). ”¦ John Freeman found this “NFL Superpro Club” Frisbee at a thrift shop. He has no idea what that club was, and neither do I. Anyone..? ”¦ New cycling kit for Team Movistar (with thanks to Sean Clancy). ”¦ Rare sight at the Phils’ presser the other day: Cliff Lee with a squatchee! (Genius catch by Scott Lederer). ”¦ Another rare sight: UGA in red pants back around 1980 (with thanks to Joe Tillman). ”¦ When the Colts introduced new uniforms in 1982 — the set with the gray trim and horseshoe-framed uni number on the home pants — this is apparently what qualified as an unveiling (great find by Joe Hilseberg). ”¦ New logo for the upcoming MLS SuperDraft (with thanks to Brian Bittner). ”¦ Adrian Gonzalez is apparently not wearing No. 23 anymore (as noted by Tom Adjelmian). ”¦ Here’s a video segment that includes a visit to the Majestic factory (with thanks to Nate Brown). ”¦ As more photos trickle out from Tuesday’s Nikegon event, I’m particularly intrigued by these two. I haven’t seen or heard any discussion of them — is that the design Nikegon planned to use if the Ducks had been the designated home team? A tempting thought, although it’s hard to imagine how the NCAA would approve black numerals on a black jersey — a potential officiating nightmare. ”¦ Mike Hersh has written yet another great piece about vintage sports posters, plus he also found something really special: an engraved invitation to the Brooklyn Dodgers’ (or Superbas’, or whatever they were called then) 1894 Opening Day. ”¦ Dayton’s blue hoops alternates will debut on Monday (with thanks to J. Cristiano). ”¦ What if you could embed a secret pattern within a jersey that would only become visible under certain lighting conditions? That’s the idea behind this Dallas Stars constellation jersey concept (cool find by Harrison Bergmann). ”¦ What have we here? It’s a uniform mock-up that Spalding did for the Reds, and by far the earliest example of such a thing I’ve ever seen. It’s part of a huge stash of uni-related Reds correspondence that Peter Nash found at the Hall of Fame. There’s more info regarding that trove of material in this article, and you can also scroll through two big files of correspondence here and here. ”¦ Here’s something the NFL should look into: The U.S. military is developing a plastic strip that soldiers can wear on their helmets to help measure impacts and diagnose brain injuries. Sounds like it could be helpful on the concussion front (big thanks to Dan Cichalski). ”¦ Best eBay find of the season: an absolutely spectacular Baltimore Colts cufflink and tie bar set (major thanks to Larry Brunt). ”¦ Is it really necessary for NFL replay booths to have their own logo? Hint: Answer rhymes with “No” (with thanks to Jeff Mayer.) ”¦ Looks like Brian Westbrook’s neck bumper got dislodged last night (screen shot courtesy of Joshua Brisco). ”¦ Coupla absolutely spectacular shots from Occidental’s 1928 women’s football team on this page. Click on each photo to get the full-sized versions — spectacular stuff (with thanks to Kirsten, who’s a proud Occidental alum). ”¦ Here’s a video clip showing the Capitals goalies’ masks for the Winter Classic, but it has a really annoying soundtrack, so hit the mute button before clicking here (with thanks to John Wood Jr.). ”¦ Check out this Brett Favre jersey cake. “Don’t scorn me for the off-center nameplate — I was in a rush!” says Sunny Moon. “Also, I ran out of yellow food coloring, so I had to improvise with the white.” ”¦ Speaking of uni-related baking projects, yesterday was a very happy day at Uni Watch HQ, as the annual shipment of uni-themed holiday cookies from reader Elena Elms arrived in the mail. I was running out the door to Open Mic Show-and-Tell and didn’t have time to take photos, but I’ll take some shots today and run them next week.

“Even in its most recent garish incarnations, TCU wins over Wisconsin and its visible-from-space “motion W” on the helmets.”

“Virginia Tech has found some creative looks to overcome its naturally repulsive maroon-and-orange color scheme. The Dash recommends a return to the all-black unis and helmets from the opener against Boise State. Stanford’s black jerseys were cool; the reds are pretty generic.”

“That goes to West Virginia as well. Especially if the Mountaineers break out the gold jerseys.”

“Navy has a classic look, from the no-logo gold helmet on down. San Diego State might have been the first to go all-black. The Dash gives a slight nod to the trendsetting Aztecs.”

Adam|
December 17, 2010 at 8:45 am |

wow… it’s as if he went through and picked nearly every uniform matchup wrong.

Chris Holder|
December 17, 2010 at 10:03 am |

I’ll never forgive him for referring to my Crimson Tide’s numbered helmets as “bottom-level creativity”. As compared to what, Pat, a generic school logo on each one? It’s called tradition. Hmmph.

Plus, he claimed to like orange. Minus a few more points on my opinion of Mr. Forde…

Rob S|
December 17, 2010 at 1:24 pm |

What’s with his hatred for red, anyway?

Jim Vilk|
December 17, 2010 at 10:09 am |

And y’all thought you’d never find anyone more unqualified to do a 5&1 list. We stand corrected…

Adam|
December 17, 2010 at 8:34 am |

If I understand correctly, the all black uniforms from the Nikegon announcement were basically made to show off the new style of uniform (I imagine it’s 30% lighter, wicks moisture better, all that jazz) and thats why they were black, with gray panels, to illustrate where the different fabrics were located.

The reason is to make it hurt like hell when you get hit on the top of the head when you’re wearing a hat.

But I would guess it was necessary to hold the panels together at the top at some point.

LI Phil|
December 17, 2010 at 8:59 am |

the generic superhero nike toy costumes were “introduced” prior to the unveil of the 4 select clubs, when swooshie was plugging the new alpha talon cleats they’re trying to move…they’re the same “pro combat” material and nothing has essentially changed with the uni — but the idea was to focus the viewer’s attention on the shoes…

You must remember why we are all here. We populate a small corner of the world that admires and analyzes sports uniforms.

Within our group, there are different sects, or as wel affectionately refer to them, wings.

As much as I am interested in say Hockey, my true love is the sneaker/cleat combination.

And there are many more like me in sneakerhead-dom.

The Alpha Talons ARE a big deal in our wing no matter what Nike’s motivations at their unveil were.

LI Phil|
December 17, 2010 at 10:14 am |

The Alpha Talons ARE a big deal in our wing no matter what Nike’s motivations at their unveil were.

didn’t say they weren’t

all im saying is that was a sneaker unveil wrapped up in the guise of a uni-unveil…where, especially with the ducks poised to win a national champeenship, it garnered much more attention from the media than would have a simple “sneaker unveil”

The hockey wing is always open, Matt. Especially when you consider that Nike made uniforms and skates for star players.

For once, Nike would be fully and completely accepted over any other manufacturer (except CCM) by me when it comes to uniform design if, and only if, they designed NHL uniforms like they do for international team uniforms.

Yeah, I was actually thinking the same thing when I saw them. Virginia Tech’s Chicago Maroon should look slightly different than a true brown, but it’s still similar enough. If it’s a one time thing, I’m okay with it. As a Hokie, the maroon helmets are still where it’s at.

I LOVE anything orange and almost everything the Hokies do uni-wise except for the Boise State pro combat set this year, which has nothing to do with the nike backlash, I just love their maroon and orange so much more.

I really liked the mock-up Phil made last night!

Oh and to the uni-watcher who concocted the modern UA Auburn orange, I thought that it looked great!

The Jeff|
December 17, 2010 at 9:42 am |

I think those look better than the Browns, actually. No stupid gray facemask, and the stripes are consistent with themselves. Cleveland on the other hand, keeps insisting on using orange-brown-orange pant stripes while having brown as the outside color on everything else, and it bothers the hell out of me. It’s WRONG, dammit.

Andy|
December 17, 2010 at 11:06 am |

Nope. It matches up perfectly with the center three stripes on the sleeves and socks. Orange on the outside.

Count me in as one of those people that LOVE the Browns uniforms. Then again, my favorite NFL sets are the Bears, Giants and those Browns.

As far as the NCAA goes and in referenece to my earlier comment, my favorite uniform has got to be the Oregon Yellow/Green throwback as well as the VaTech throwback complete with the Maroon helmet.

It’s not the simple traditional look that is appealing…it is that it is paired with cutting edge technology and accessories. For example, the Penn State whites look great because the pads, helmets, gloves, socks, and compression gear are all top notch and work to accentuate the uniform.

I remember a time when Michigan would have white or black athletic tape across the belt, royal blue t-shirts under their pads, black recievers gloves and they looked like crap. Their uniforms were great, but everything else took away from the aesthetic.

Now there is alot more piping and overall stuff, but the wolverines look crisp.

Here at UW, we always point to Alabama and PSU as the purveyors of classic yet bland uniforms. Not only the fact that Alabama can’t even match their helmet and jersey shades, the sleeveless look is really bad for them.

Oregon is fun because they will surprise us with their innovation and willingness to change. And most of all, it will never be half-assed. The gloves, cleats, everything will coordinate.

Now if we could just get rid of the stupid bicep bands all over the place and institute the compression striped sleeves ala Oregon State, we would be headed in the right direction.

Beardface|
December 17, 2010 at 10:52 am |

I still think they will look like the Browns, and we will have a lot of people commenting “did the Browns get demoted?” when watching the game.

I just wish we would stop changing uniforms all the f’n time. Going from maroon to white helmets on a weekly basis was one thing, but now orange, which we’ve never worn before? I hate watching a game and not knowing which team to follow because we are wearing something so foreign, even if its our own colors.

Its amazing. You can have something as good as the VT throwbacks, and still act like the Oregon of the East. We now have worn 5 helmets this year (basic maroon, black, white with no stripes, white with stripes, orange), 3 jerseys (white, maroon, black), and 2 pants styles (white, black). Unreal.

the patch looks great, I see no mention of it on the Indians home site though.

teenchy|
December 17, 2010 at 9:37 am |

UGa alum here and I can confirm that the photo of Herschel Walker and Buck Belue in red pants is from 1980. In fact it’s from Walker’s debut game @ Tennessee (note Vol cheerleader and human in Smokey mascot costume in background), the one in which Herschel famously ran over Bill Bates.

Fellow Dawg here and I believe we wore the red britches more than the one time on the road. I think this photo was the normal road uni in the late 70s as well.

ChrisN|
December 17, 2010 at 10:38 pm |

Lifelong Dawg fan who attended every home game in that 1980 season. Teenchy is right about that being Herschel’s debut game at Tennessee.

Georgia had previously worn silver pants (“silver britches” to the Dawg fans) from 1939 through 1963. During the off-season before the 1980 season, the Dawgs announced that they would wear silver britches for the first time since Vince Dooley took over in 1964, as part of the home uniform. The Falcons had started wearing silver pants a year or two before, and a lot of old-time Dawg fans wanted to see them return in Athens. However, Georgia intended to wear red pants on the road.

The Dawgs wore the red pants in their first two road games at Tennessee and Kentucky. When they got to the week 9 game against Florida in Jacksonville (the one in the road picture Teenchy linked), they decided to wear the silver britches with the white jerseys for the first time that season. I can’t remember if they decided to wear the silver britches because it wasn’t really a road game (neutral site), because they’d decided that the silver britches were lucky, or if it was some combo of the two reasons. The Dawgs beat Florida with a last-minute Belue-to-Scott touchdown pass, and since then, they’ve worn the silver britches almost exclusively.

Ricardo Leonor|
December 17, 2010 at 9:37 am |

So my 11 year old is home from school yesterday ( school was closed because we got 1/1000000th of inch of snow and they go absolutely nuts here in North Carolina when they see flakes ), he looks over my shoulder at the pic of what Oregon will be wearing and goes crazy….thinks its the coolest thing he has every seen…….and of course eyes go directly to the shoes!!

I watched the video of the Dallas event and didn’t see all that much about the shoe. What is so special about the new cleats? It sounds like there is supposed to be something mechanical about them but I couldn’t find any video.

=bg=|
December 17, 2010 at 8:21 pm |

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAck

Air Trainer 1!!

Favorite tennis shoe evah!!!!

traxel|
December 17, 2010 at 9:45 am |

I used to have one of those NFL Superpro Club frisbees, it came with the membership. Early 1980’s. I think there was a newsletter and some other little stuff, but the best part was the poster and the clingy round helmets that stuck to it to keep up with the standings. I’m sure mine is long gone but that poster was worth the membership fee for sure.

Yup. When my family moved from Iowa to Philly in 1980, when dad got his first network job with CBS, dad went ahead of us by a few months and got the new house ready and whatnot. So when I saw my room for the first time, there was the NFL club poster on the wall with all the plastic-cling team helmets on it and the frisbee and a club certificate on my new desk. Dad was really looking forward to taking me to my first big-league baseball and football games. I didn’t care about football at all, and I don’t think I ever read any of the club newsletters or magazines that showed up, but I loved the poster with the little helmets.

The NFL SuperPro Club was awesome for kids in the early ’80s! It was a pretty good marketing idea from the NFL. Kids could mail in a signup form found in comic books or to an address advertised during NFL games and get a “fan pack” of cool stuff for their favorite team. Everyone in my neighborhood signed up and I still have some of the stuff they sent. There were different items in different years.

It was awesome for kids. You sent in a form marking your favorite team and they would send you a team poster, and a quarterly newsletter (sometimes it would have a fold out poster inside of it). I don’t remember what year the frisbee is from, but I think I still have mine. In 1982 they gave out a little pocket roster book. Each team had a roster on one side and the team schedule on the other side (all about the size of a business card) and it was housed in a little fold out package.

Drew|
December 17, 2010 at 9:48 am |

These are the official home version that the ducks are selling for the bcs jersey

Yeah, I was just going to mention Jenny’s Bills jersey (as seen here on Uni Watch). If you go to the link MP provides above, I believe there was some discussion of the SuperPro Club in the comments that day as well.

I can’t find a pick, but didn’t the expansion Senators also use that number style, at least in the early 1960s?

DJ|
December 17, 2010 at 12:04 pm |

I know the Angels used it in the 70s for a while.

teenchy|
December 17, 2010 at 12:55 pm |

Expansion AL Nats used the McAuliffe font in 1961-62, dropped it in ’63 when they adopted the “curly W.” Original AL Nats used it throughout the 1930s and as late as 1940 – look for stills from the Around the League DVD Paul’s offering up as Lot 32.

Ricko|
December 17, 2010 at 2:41 pm |

Last A’s vested used it.

—Ricko

Aaron|
December 17, 2010 at 12:31 pm |

What color is the satin in that picture? My eyes want to say blue, but my head tells me there’s no way.

interesting thing is i am thinking there were actually two iterations of the blue — a “powder” color and a much darker navy blue…previously i thought it was just lighting…but im almost convinced they had two separate shades in two separate sets

Aaron|
December 17, 2010 at 5:18 pm |

I remember that post, but I guess I just completely forgot about the Dodger jerseys in that one. I wonder what it would take for somebody to break out some satin jerseys for a spring training game or something like that. I’d love to see them in action.

Jim BC|
December 17, 2010 at 11:37 am |

My raffle entry has been submitted. Lots of cool stuff (s usual) But again, what I’d really like for Christmas is a Northwest Coast Uniwatch gathering… Seattle? Vancouver?

Jim BC|
December 17, 2010 at 11:38 am |

umm… (As usual)…

Chris|
December 17, 2010 at 11:47 am |

What is the giveaway address? For some reason, I can’t open the link that says what the email address is. Thanks.

New Colorado Buffaloes Football Head Coach Jon Embree says no more white-on-white road uniforms. The players liked them but they’re an abomination as far as CU tradition goes. (This alum is very pleased!)

DenverGregg|
December 17, 2010 at 12:26 pm |

Agreed. The gold pants are among the most constant components of the Buff uni.

I think that Feller patch is my new all-time favorite memorial patch. Says something about the professionalism and class of the Indians organization, especially when compared to, say, the Yankees, whose memorial design for the Boss bore the hallmarks of last-minute scramble and reaction even though his passing was long expected. The Feller patch shows an organization that either respectfully planned ahead or is able to do excellent work on tight deadlines.

The preponderance of these are broadcasters and execs. Probably because teams usually fall back on a black number to represent players, we don’t see as much thoughtful creativity in player memorials, which is where the Feller patch really stands out.

Yeah, I’m really not top-of-my-head conversant with that sort of thing in most sports beyond baseball. But you’re right: That Landry tribute takes the cake. The first challenge for this sort of thing is finding an icon that speaks to the person’s identity in some fundamental way. The second challenge is having the design courage to run with the icon instead of the more common cliches of public mourning. Feller’s leg lifted at the start of his delivery is just such an icon; Landry’s hat, even more so.

=bg=|
December 17, 2010 at 8:19 pm |

I revered coach Landry- stood barely 20 feet away from him on the sidelines when the Cowboys visited Cincinnati..but that patch didn’t do it for me. At a fairly close distance, you couldn’t quite tell what it was IMO.

scott|
December 17, 2010 at 10:20 pm |

Didn’t the Indians just basically take a silhouette of the Feller statue outside Progressive Field and incorporate it into the memorial patch? Though it does appear his leg kick in the patch is significantly higher than it is in the actual statue. Either way, it’s a pretty good memorial patch.

The black pro-combat uniforms aren’t what Oregon would of wore had they been number 1 rather than number 2. Did some looking online and found a video where the uniforms were introduced as “The 2011 Nike Pro-Combat System of Dress.”

So I’m sure they were just made to show the crowd the basic template of the Pro-Combats for next season. I’m guessing the only change is the thicker collar.

Wow…. that Stars jersey idea is soooo cool! But exactly why fan mock-ups are so uncool – they get you all excited about something that never has a chance in hell of happening and just makes you miserable that you are stuck with what you got!

I think the Nike event pics may be about showing the “features” (and I use that term loosely!) of their unis…

If you guys like the NFL Superwhatever, the NHL and Stan Lee are working on the NHL Guardian Project right now. Each NHL team will have a superhero representing itself, and each superhero will have powers that reflect the team itself. All of the designs will be released at the 2011 NHL All-Star Game, but this idea could be really cool or a complete mess.

That ’82 Colts road uniform was a tasteful update of their traditional uniform, Indy should have kept the horseshoes on the hips for both road and away.

=bg=|
December 17, 2010 at 8:17 pm |

boy i loved the gray trim they used for a bit.

rpm|
December 17, 2010 at 2:32 pm |

paul~ i normally loooooove the end of year raffle, and covet the okc thunder pen set with missing caps, but i am very disappointed by this years selection, it’s all way too good. then again there is that texans apron, maybe i can shoot for that. so much goodness, i don’t even know what to shoot for, only to turn around and not win. and if you want a booby prize, you could add a pair of uw-style stirrups into that if you want to go through the hassle of amending the post.

It’d be better if a) the Niners’ stripes were complete (hey, their TV numbers are on top of their shoulders, why not move up the stripes so we actually have all three of them?), and b) the Chargers’ shoulder bolts actually went over the shoulder (but, since they moved their TV numbers to the top, we’re stuck with the odd-looking sideways bolts).

But, that’s just a minor nitpick. Always nice to see the powder blues.

Bryan H.|
December 17, 2010 at 3:24 pm |

Hi there. I have read this since the start of my school year as something to do in a boring class. Am I allowed to enter in the raffle even if I am not a member? Thanks for entertaining me in my classes.

“… Coupla absolutely spectacular shots from Occidental’s 1928 women’s football team on this page. Click on each photo to get the full-sized versions – spectacular stuff (with thanks to Kirsten, who’s a proud Occidental alum). … ”

Beyond great.

Yeeb!|
December 17, 2010 at 3:48 pm |

I guess the MLS Superdraft logo tells us that next year’s matchball in Major League Soccer will be orange and maroon — the colors of WPS.

Ironic, since it doesn’t look like there will be much a WPS next season.

johnj|
December 17, 2010 at 5:57 pm |

Hey guys, got a question that I’ve been pondering until it just hit me that maybe my fellow uni watchers could help with….

I have terrible luck with jersey purchases, in that everytime I buy a certain player’s jersey, they either get hurt or traded or something similar.

My biggest problem is soccer jerseys. Now, I don’t wanna get rid of these jerseys cause I still support the team, but I’d rather not have the name/number on the back, so here’s my question:

Does anyone have any experience with removing the iron on letters from jerseys?

What works best, if it works at all, etc. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated, I don’t wanna ruin my jerseys but theyre worthless to me cause I refuse to wear them.

(One example is a Ronaldo Man U jersey, purchased a season before his transfer. I’d love to keep a #7 Man U kit but can’t see the name without getting angry or making fellow supporters angry)

Eastern Washington is in black on the red turf. As bad as the blue turf is, I swear the red turf is 100 times worse.

PatrickinMI|
December 17, 2010 at 8:28 pm |

At least they’re not wearing mono-red! That red turf is nauseating, I could only watch a few minutes of that game. I do like the EWU helmet logo though.

aflfan|
December 17, 2010 at 8:44 pm |

Me too. Gladly, the Wings game is starting and I will watch two classic uniforms. Chicago’s red uniforms vs. Detroit’s white uniforms.

Rob S|
December 18, 2010 at 1:18 am |

The team in red won that one… and it was a bit disappointing that the crowd didn’t show much love for Chris Chelios on the night the Blackhawks decided to pay homage to their former captain.

Unfortunately, they can’t vent against the men responsible for their team getting rid of Cheli – Bob Murray’s in Anaheim, and Bill Wirtz… well, “Dollar Bill” isn’t around anymore.

Gusto44|
December 17, 2010 at 8:38 pm |

The red turf looks better than I anticipated, the black in the end zones helps, along with the huge logo at midfield.

I could see a lower profile D1 or FCS school looking at a orange, purple or black field. This isn’t for everyone obviously, but for a lower profile program, I can understand the unique factor for doing this.

Flip|
December 17, 2010 at 9:13 pm |

Agreed that it’s not as bad as expected. Arguably, it’s better than the Smurf Turf. Still, for your eye’s sake, grass is meant to be green, even if it’s fake. Doing otherwise is just a brainf***.

JTH|
December 17, 2010 at 10:37 pm |

Yeah. I dunno. Fake grass is fake grass.

Most modern artificial surfaces do a decent job of emulating the color of real grass, but I think I’d rather look at that red turf than the seafoamish color of the old-style turf.

After all the trouble I went to with my friend Gary Kubiak to get a Texans apron for you, I’m heartbroken to see it in the Swag Raffle.

Peter the duck|
December 17, 2010 at 11:59 pm |

Fan appreciation day, unless you happen to be an Oregon fan. Or is it “Nikegon?” It must be nice to view what we do with such a smug sense of superiority. Sorry we aren’t “traditional” enough for you, but there comes a time where you just need to live and let live. I completely agree with a poster a few days ago taking offense at the nickname. It’s incredibly judgmental and it shows that you have a real lack of class and have no idea what our school is about.

StLMarty|
December 18, 2010 at 12:47 am |

For lack of a better term… Duck off!

LI Phil|
December 18, 2010 at 1:40 am |

Peter

you really need to read more than just “Nikegon” when you read paul’s posts

seriously

and if you take offense to being called “nikegon,” then you really need to develop a thicker skin

because that is neither a derogatory term nor a “smug sense of superiority” at work…but if you can’t see the forest for the trees…

Because Nike and Oregon have a relationship unparalleled between apparel company and school, there is bound to be an increased amount of coverage on Uni Watch. Take it in stride.

Sometimes Nike does stupid things for the Ducks (the “new” uniforms that are really just there to advertise the new shoe line, metallic yellow helmets, diamond plating) and then the two are both targets for criticism. Sometimes Nike does really awesome things for the Ducks (the uniforms with the wings on the shoulders, the lack of dumb pants striping and/or piping, making it financially possible for the team to keep Chip Kelly), and the relationship gets lauded.

If you can take the good with the bad, you’ll be fine. Right now, the Nike/Oregon relationship is kind of making the school look foolish, so Paul and Phil are having a heyday making fun of it. It’ll blow over in time.

Peter the duck|
December 18, 2010 at 2:29 am |

Well enlighten me, what is it then? I understand that it is a term used to portray the relationship between Nike and the University of Oregon. I understand about as much as anybody, as a Duck fan all my life, that Nike has a closer relationship with the University than it does with anybody else. But I see the term “Nikegon” as implying that the University of Oregon is nothing but a corporate sellout and has become just an extension of the Nike brand. This is a complete falsehood and a total over simplification of the relationship that the University and Nike have, and that is what I take offense to. Maybe the term “Nikegon” itself is not offensive, but taken in the context of this blog, in which the vast majority of Nike releases are ridiculed endlessly, it is easy to take the nickname as derogatory.

JTH|
December 18, 2010 at 3:14 am |

Why don’t you enlighten us as to the exact nature of Nike’s relationship with the University of Oregon?

I’m not going to speak for Phil but I’m guessing he’d be more than happy to collaborate with you on a weekend post that explores that subject if you’d be willing to put in the effort.

Where the lines are drawn varies depending upon who you are talking to, what day of the week it is, and whether or not it’s actually raining in Eugene at the time.

concealed78|
December 18, 2010 at 10:53 am |

Hmmm. I still see Oregon as Nike’s corporate tool. It’s all in Nike’s quest of globalization & is completely a business model. Imagine if Reebok or Adidas suddenly decided to pick a local college and completely rebuild it from the ground up while heavily featuring the school as a purely marketing brand. It’d be like going to a airport-sized church built by Pizza Hut & having their logo stamped on your forehead. It’s Corporate Tooling 101.

Peter the duck|
December 18, 2010 at 5:42 pm |

Yep, the University is definitely nothing but a “purely marketing brand.” Just a walk through campus confirms this. There is the Nike student union, the Nike library, the Nike business complex, the Nike science complex, the Nike bookstore, the Nike honors college, the Nike dorms, the Nike rec center, the Nike art museum, the Nike School of Journalism, the Nike Foreign-Language department, the Nike Women’s Studies Department. In fact, the University, though it used to be a “public” school, is actually a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nike. Every dollar of tuition goes right into Nike’s pocket. Actually, I’m a Nike major at Nikegon. My classes next term include History of Nike, Nike appreciation, and most importantly, Corporate Tooling 101. Every class is sponsored by Nike, too, like “POLITICAL SCIENCE 399: BROUGHT TO YOU BY NIKE.” Gone are the days of “Finals Week.” We now have JUST DO IT week. Every professor is contractually obligated to plug a new Nike product every class period. Even our ROTC department has been renamed as the Nike Pro Combat Training Corps Brought to You By Nike Pro Combat: Prepare For Combat!!! And you know what? I actually DO have a Nike logo stamped on my forehead! So does everybody else here! Isn’t that cool?

Yeah, I’m sure glad to go to a school that is nothing but a brand extension of Nike. There is nothing disingenuous or derogatory about that characterization at all.

concealed78|
December 18, 2010 at 11:29 pm |

I still will never count on a biased College alumni on an opinion of anything to do with their Alma mater in any situation or subject matter in any situation.

Be a Dick, …er Duck. Oregon is synonymous with Nike in the general population, whether you like it or not. I personally have held a negative opinion towards Nike long before this blog ever existed. The fact that Nike is involved with any institution for higher learning just makes my skin crawl & question their motives.

Why don’t you just admit University of Oregon would just be another generic NCAA school with no name or the worldwide known brand recognition or marketing lure & recruiting pizazz without some heavy hitter corporation to sponsor and fund its livelihood. UO is nothing without Nike – not the other way around.

I’m not even a College sports fan, so what UO & Nike is doing is even that more obscene to me. Pure shit, UO is. Whore itself out.

Peter the duck|
December 19, 2010 at 4:40 am |

Woah, okay there buddy. Why don’t you do yourself a favor: when you calm down, check on what I posted when the new jerseys were released. I have already admitted that Phil Knight’s support is probably why we are where we are. I am taking issue with the fact that people on this blog are trying to pigeonhole the entire University as nothing but one of Nike’s brands. I stand by my argument that such an assertion is disingenuous at best.

The relationship between Nike and Oregon in a nutshell: Nike subsidizes tons of Oregon sports teams and facilities. (New arena, Autzen Stadium expansion, construction of new Casanova Center for offices, construction of Moshovsky Center). School gets increased exposure and, in turn, performance. Phil Knight personally sponsors building construction and academic programs on campus. (Knight Library, Knight Law Center, Knight Journalism Professorship) Where the lines are drawn varies depending upon who you are talking to, what day of the week it is, and whether or not it’s actually raining in Eugene at the time.